JAM-PACKED WEEKEND (FEB2012)

JAM-PACKED WEEKEND (FEB2012)

March 17, 2012 at 12:23pm

Upon arriving from work last Thursday I was approached to give a talk to YFCs the next day. At first I hesitated and then it made me think a bit. I was thinking that maybe he approached me because he didn't have any options rather I was the only option he had. It really made me think deeply. I was reflecting if I should accept it or not. Knowing the situation he was in and somehow I understand the struggles he was experiencing. With the fact that there's not enough time left to search for a speaker for tomorrow's activity I just said YES. I'm sure God wanted me to come back to him. I myself was struggling in secret especially with my relationship and prayer time. I was given the privilege to select the talk that fits me. It was about values per the seven IDs of being a YFC…

I came across the talk about the value of TRUST under the YFC ID of BEING A MISSIONARY…  Then something hit me. I realized the true essence of TRUST. I had experience trust issues with relationships and I really learned my lesson the very hard way.

The talk is about TRUSTING THE LORD WITHOUT DOUBT AND THE VALUE OF THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION…

TRUST is hard to obtain but easy to lose. It takes hours to days to weeks to months and even years to build and develop trust but it only takes seconds to minutes or perhaps hours to days to lose it. When trust is lost it's even harder to obtain back.

TRUST can be compared to a piece of paper. If you do something wrong, a part of it is being torn apart. If you did something greater than the first offense then the paper is slowly being crumpled… But if you did something worse than the first two mentioned then it's like being burned to ashes. Gone and you can never get it back like it was before. It will always leave a scar or a mark in that person's life. Time can heal. It will surely be a long process to have it back again but it will never be the same as before or it depends on the person or the situation. It's a case to case basis. It's how I see it as it is based from my experience.

YOU CAN ALWAYS TRUST THE ONE YOU LOVE BUT YOU CAN NEVER LOVE THE ONE YOU DON'T TRUST… Love and trust always go together.. All of us are given the privilege to trust and be trusted. How we take care of that trust depends on us. TRUST can be very fragile so we should be careful.

Humans as we are it is always difficult to trust others. It's even more difficult if you have experienced something in the past involving a loved one and you just got hurt so much that you closed yourself and learned to never trust others so easily. Our family and loved ones will surely fail us but GOD WILL NEVER FAIL US. God wants us to feel that we can trust Him. In His presence we are secured and confident that He'll never let us down. He even loves us more and will continue to bless us even if we're not that deserving. God wants us to learn to trust and lean on Him. He wants us to acknowledge His presence and even develop a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.. God assures us that trusting Him would be the best decision we can ever make that we will never regret.

Trust is developed during 0-1 year old. It starts when we were born and until we turn 1 year old. When we were babies we would cry a lot since we can't speak. We cry for them to feed us. We cry to have our nappy changed. We cry to be cuddled by them. We cry if we feel something wrong. During that time, we cry to meet our needs and wants. In that time the trust is developed if all needs are met but if it's fixated then the baby develops mistrust. Trust usually is learned and developed first when you were a baby then enhanced as you grow and interact with other people. It changes as time passes by and as you learn from your experiences.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT IN YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.  –PROVERBS 3:5-6

T- Total surrender to God's will
R- Rest in His embrace 
U- United in His Love
S- Silent in His Presence
T- Thankful and grateful in His faithfulness

REMEMBER….
Whatever is the state of your heart right now, TRUST in God’s promises.  Know that in loneliness, HE is our EMBRACE; in fear, HE is our COURAGE; in doubt HE is our confidence; in confusion, HE is our PEACE.

Singing the song HEART of WORSHIP.. (learning to play the guitar again)
Trust God and surely He will never fail you. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT.. 

During that day, I attended the CLP of CFC Singles for Christ and the talk was about Repentance and Faith (same like the topic I discussed)..we even sang the song HEART of WORSHIP.. Would you believe that? There are no accidents... :-)
FEB 17, 2012

Me and Kiko with the YFC Ras Al Khaimah

We just met and talked for a few hours and with God's grace became family.. YEAAAH! Thank you for making me feel the love and warmth of having a family here. I am sooo blessed and I can't contain it...

God bless and be blessed.. :-)

XXLOVEXX

SARAHKAILYN <3 c",)

4G: Guitar

Thank you so much Ate Kim.. You have made me extra super duper happy!!!! As in hafeeeeee! God is so generous enough perhaps too much to bless me with a guitar I can call mine. This guitar will be a a reminder and a declaration of your grace, goodness and greatness. Lord I will journey beyond. I know I have a mission to fulfill and it's here in the UAE. Send me Lord and use me as an instrument. Lead me there and I will go for mission there. In your name, I trust, I hope, I claim and I ask, Amen! :)))))) ang galing mo Lord! You never fail talaga! Da best ka sa buhay ko! Hallelujah! Push na push ko na talaga to! All for you. 

(May 16, 2014 at RAK)

Nearly 5 months ago... :)

Worry not, Trust God!

Daily Manna: OCTOBER 7, 2014 - TUESDAY

Gospel for the day: Luke 10:38-42

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Reflection:

Oftentimes when we struggle too much our prayer would go like this, “Lord don’t you care? Help me.” Of course the Lord knows everything about us which includes our thoughts, actions, joys, pains, feelings, sickness, prayers, struggles, problems, heart desires and all emotions within us. The big question: Does He care? The answer is a big yes! Such situations like that are made to happen because of a purpose and a reason behind that will soon be revealed to us. Life won’t be exciting as it is if there’s only joy without pain or suffering. God designed our life the way He wanted us to live by fulfilling the purpose and plan He has planted in us. Our job now is to find and discover that purpose and allow God’s will to be done.

The gospel today teaches us that worrying and being upset is not good enough. Sometimes we have to lean unto God when all our efforts have been done and let Him be in control. A year ago, I confidently left my job because I was not happy anymore. God allowed me to be accepted in a job that’s thrice the salary offered than the previous job. I immediately grab the opportunity but because of conflicts I had to let go of that job. I thought that maybe it wasn’t for me and so I tried to face the loss yet hurt and burdened. I remained still and confident knowing God will provide the job that I have been praying for. Deep within there’s a voice telling me to leave, go on, be brave and take the risks.  

I left claiming God’s assurance that He will grant me the desires of my heart. After leaving my job then a problem came and I had a 6 months labor ban. Upon hearing that after Christmas, my confidence began to sink and I found myself crying, hopeless, worried and afraid. I was so depressed and even thought it was the end of me. There I was experiencing a deep, dark and very emotional moment. For the first time in my life I felt being abandoned, lost and alone. Being away made me feel so weak and powerless but good thing my family, friends and the community was there to build me up. Slowly, I began to be back on track. I held on to my faith and restored my prayer time with God.   

Struggle after struggle, we learn and become stronger. I never thought of the consequences that I had to face by being jobless for 4 months. I was worried and frustrated but God was there to erase all those things in my head. I continuously allowed His will to be done in my life like the song “Lord please have your way in me”. He never failed to provide me with the resources I need. He continued to assure me that He is God and He is in control of everything. God’s time is never too late and He fulfilled His promise and my faith was strengthened. Through the grace of God I found a job and all the blessings started to pour. 

Everything was a preparation for me and here I am testifying how great and wonderful He is. He took away the unnecessary things because He was preparing me for greater things that He thinks I deserve. I feel so loved and blessed beyond measure because I am God’s favorite and His beloved! 

All I can say is thank you Lord and Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!

#iamBBM #DeoGloria

Happy 3rd in UAE!!!

7^th October 2011, exactly 3 years ago I left the Philippines and came to the UAE bringing with me a birth certificate instead of authenticated documents or a CV. Never in my mind did I realize that I will be working here because in my heart I was seeking a mission to fulfill. I was only 22 that time and I guess I was just too childish and very much a slowpoke to realize things before it was too late but God indeed has a different plan. A month later, I was missing home, messed up and was deeply hurt yet I needed to face the reality. I committed mistakes that led to consequences that included losing friends and hurting my loved ones.

I managed to get up though nearly losing hope but yet clinging to God who was my strength. He never failed to give what I never imagined to have. He provided me with a second family and a place I call home to where I belonged. He provided me with a CV, authenticated documents, a job and finally a visa to stay here. He fixed all the things that were broken in my life and slowly but surely I was being healed. He also provided me a spiritual support through the SFC community plus the whole family ministry of CFC as a bonus! He just keeps providing me endlessly and assures me to never worry about tomorrow but just to continue trusting Him.

At the span of 3 years many things have changed. I gained through my losses, faults and failures. I am able to express myself and I am building up my confidence. I am able to handle the ups and downs of my crazy weird emotions. I have fallen in love, experienced pain, hurt, rejection, been bitter and have moved on. I struggled and worry a lot yet God’s promise always assures me. I have learned to set aside my needs for the sake of others. I experienced the feeling of true love and forgiveness through my family, service and relationships. I am continuously learning, overcoming my fears, growing as an individual and becoming matured. By the grace of God, I have improved and am on the process of being better.

Lord thank you for journeying with me not just in the UAE but beyond the distance it has led me. Thank you for bringing me to different places and witnessing your miracles unfolding. Thank you for your trust, abundant blessings and love that never failed and has reached not only me but to everyone here. Thank you for tirelessly listening and answering all my complains, wishes, prayers, heart desires and selfishness. Thank you for your sufficient grace that gave me the strength to keep holding on and never letting go which brought me here, serving, surviving and standing strong. Coming here was the best decision I made and because of that yes, my life indeed was never the same. Thank you Lord, you're da best! :)

Happy 3rd in the UAE! PARTEEEEY! :)

ROAR like a LIONESS but SMILE like a PRINCESS! <3
#iamBBM #deogloria #thankyouLord #happy #blessed

United as 1 HH

As our friendship and relationships grow deeper, may our faith in God become stronger. We are one family in Christ built with love, trust & accountability. Thank you Lord for the gift of true sisterhood within & outside the community. Your presence is a blessing and a gift to my life. You have made my journey worth struggling, brightly colored, with a mixture of emotions and full of purpose.. 

Praying & journeying with you all. I love my SFC household. Thank you Angels!!

#iamBBM #lablab #household #deogloria 

Patiently wait.

God is writing and preparing me for the best love story ever told.

Just continue to patiently wait. Everything has it's own perfect moment and right time.

Never rush and just let it be. God knows what he is doing.

Smile and be hopeful. Soon you will meet your God's greatest and gorgeous gift.

#longingness #heartsdesire #love #relationship #iamBBM

Papa & Kevin in Dubai!

Lord I am grateful for answering my prayers. Finally Papa and Kevin is here in Dubai. They arrived last September 21, 2014. Yehey! A day later we went to the famous Juice world to meet Mama and Papa's friend. Of course we drank juice (hahaha).

Here with us is Tita Belle and Tito Danny. They were my second family when I came 3 years ago and they are as always ever supportive and caring. May God continue to bless them especially their family, service and finances. And so going back we just had a short chat about some stuff then took selfies. Praise God for a wonderful evening.

Lord God, thank you very much. I am so happy and I can’t contain the excitement in my heart now. I hope things will be well. Whatever will happen I’m sure and I hope we can make it through as a family.

For greater things are yet to come and may your will be done. Amen!

#deogloria #iamBBM

God's gift: T-A-L-E-N-T-S

The Parable of the Talents:

Jesus told His disciples this parable, “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one — to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. … The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’… Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Matthew 25:14-30 -----------------------------------------------------------

Based from the parable, God has blessed us with so many different and unique talents. The talents are God's gift to us and using them for His glory is our gift to God. We may not be aware of it but definitely He never allows our pocket/hands to be empty. We just have to discover it for us to find out. If we don't put our talents to good use then God has the authority to take it away from us and give it to someone who wisely uses it for the greater good.

Talents can be in many forms - a hobby, a skill/ability, a gift worth sharing, a treasure, can be related to money/finances and having that talent means opportunity, growth, maturity, business, pressure, increasing responsibility and prone to challenges. Knowing how to use your talent is an A+ because you only give God more reasons to continue blessing you and in return you can bless others more with your blessings. And then, everybody will do it and the cycle goes on. Amazingly WOW! Isn't God so great? AMEN to that!

As privileged sons and daughters of God, He is teaching us the right way to use these talents. He gave meaning that represents our attitude as stewards of these T-A-L-E-N-T-S.

T - Thankful (the more we say thank you Lord, the more God will generously bless us with more)

A - Available / Appreciate (find time to share and appreciate the gift because it's the perfect gift to the giver of gifts)

L - Love (without love, it's not meaningful. Love should be our fuel to share the gifts we have to others.)

E - Encourage / Endure ( Continue to encourage others and give them a push when things get rough)

N - Never ending grace (the more we share, we more we are blessed beyond measure)

T - Time, talent & treasure (sharing yourself through 3Ts)

S - Service, sacrifice, surrender (offering yourself for the good of many, denying yourself of your needs, putting the interest of others above you and lifting it all to God when the burden is too much)

Your unique gifts and talents... 

Do you know them?

Are you using them?

Let's take time to ponder and realize that we are blessed beyond measure.

God bless you! Take care.

#DeoGloria #iamBBM #thankyouLORD

10 Ways You’re Making Your Life Harder Than It Has To Be

http://thoughtcatalog.com/tim-hoch/2014/06/10-ways-youre-making-your-life-harder-than-it-has-to-be/

Tim Hoch

Alex Dram

1. You ascribe intent.

Another driver cut you off. Your friend never texted you back. Your co-worker went to lunch without you. Everyone can find a reason to be offended on a steady basis. So what caused you to be offended? You assigned bad intent to these otherwise innocuous actions. You took it as a personal affront, a slap in the face.

Happy people do not do this. They don’t take things personally. They don’t ascribe intent to the unintentional actions of others.

2. You’re the star of your own movie.

It is little wonder that you believe the world revolves around you. After all, you have been at the very center of every experience you have ever had.
You are the star of your own movie. You wrote the script. You know how you want it to unfold. You even know how you want it to end.
Unfortunately you forgot to give your script to anyone else. As a result, people are unaware of the role they are supposed to play. Then, when they screw up their lines, or fail to fall in love with you or don’t give you a promotion, your movie is ruined.
Lose your script. Let someone else star once in awhile. Welcome new characters. Embrace plot twists.

3. You fast forward to apocalypse.

I have a bad habit of fast forwarding everything to its worst possible outcome and being pleasantly surprised when the result is marginally better than utter disaster or jail time. My mind unnecessarily wrestles with events that aren’t even remotely likely. My sore throat is cancer. My lost driver’s license fell into the hands of an al-Qaeda operative who will wipe out my savings account.
Negativity only breeds more negativity. It is a happiness riptide. It will carry you away from shore and if you don’t swim away from it, will pull you under.

4. You have unrealistic and/or uncommunicated expectations.

Among their many shortcomings

of your family and friends is the harsh reality that they cannot read your mind or anticipate your whims.
Did your boyfriend forget the six and a half month anniversary of your first movie date? Did your girlfriend refuse to call at an appointed hour? Did your friend fail to fawn over your tribal tattoo?
Unmet expectations will be at the root of most of your unhappiness in life. Minimize your expectations, maximize your joy.

5. You are waiting for a sign.

I have a friend who won’t make a decision without receiving a “sign.” I suppose she is waiting on a trumpeted announcement from God. She is constantly paralyzed by a divinity that is either heavily obscured or frustratingly tardy. I’m not disavowing that fate or a higher power plays a role in our lives. I’m just saying that it is better to help shape fate than be governed by it.

6. You don’t take risks.

Two words: Live boldly. Every single time you are offered a choice that involves greater risk, take it. You will lose on many of them but when you add them up at the end of your life you’ll be glad you did.

7. You constantly compare your life to others.

A few years ago I was invited to a nice party at a big warehouse downtown. I was enjoying the smooth jazz, box wine and crustless sandwiches. What more could a guy want? Later in the evening I noticed a steady parade of well-heeled people slide past and disappear into another room. I peeked and saw a large party with beautiful revelers dancing and carrying on like Bacchus. Suddenly my gig wasn’t as fun as it had been all because it didn’t appear to measure up to the party next door- a party I didn’t even know existed until just moments before.
I do this frequently. Those people are having more fun. Mary has a bigger boat. Craig gets all the lucky breaks. Ted has more money. John is better looking.
Stop it.
Always remember what Teddy Roosevelt said: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

8. You let other people steal from you.

If you had a million dollars in cash under your mattress, you would check it regularly and take precautions to insure it is safe. The one possession you have that is more important than money is time. But you don’t do anything to protect it. In fact you willingly give it to thieves. Selfish people, egotistical people, negative people, people who won’t shut up. Treat your time like Fort Knox. Guard it closely and give it only to those who deserve and respect it.

9. You can’t/won’t let go.

These are getting a little harder aren’t they? That’s because sometimes you have to work at happiness. Some hurdles are too difficult to clear by simply adjusting your point of view or adopting a positive mindset.
Do you need to forgive someone? Do you need to turn your back on a failed relationship? Do you need to come to terms with the death of a loved one?
Life is full of loss. But, in a sense, real happiness would not be possible without it.  It helps us appreciate and savor the things that really matter. It helps us grow. It can help us help others grow.

Closure is a word for people who have never really suffered. There’s no such thing. Just try to “manage” your loss. Put it in perspective. You will always have some regret and doubt about your loss. You may always second guess yourself. If only you had said this, or tried that.
You’re not alone. Find someone who understands and talk to that person. Reach out for support. If all else fails, try #10 below.

10. You don’t give back.

One way to deal with loss is to immerse yourself in doing good. Volunteer. Get involved in life.
It doesn’t even have to be a big, structured thing. Say a kind word. Encourage someone. Pay a visit to someone who is alone. Get away from your self-absorption.
When it comes down to it, there are two types of people in this world. There are givers and there are takers. Givers are happy. Takers are miserable. What are you?

Proud Lefty!

August 13 is the International Left-Handers day! I didn't know that they celebrated this. I only found out about it last week. Being a lefty became a struggle at first but as I embraced it, I began to slowly discover the uniqueness and amazing talent it has revealed to me.

As I grew up I had a hard time dealing with situations because I was left handed. It's challenging to write using a right handed chair and my side or back hurts from trying to adjust with the chair. We rarely have left handed chairs and whenever we have one it's gives me relief. I always have pen marks on my left hand as a result of writing. Whenever I write something I always have a different penmanship and I don't have a permanent one. Weird? My handwriting is difficult to read when I'm in a hurry but if I want it to be read I have to write very slowly and beautifully. Whenever I write, it would be different than how the right handers do or it's in a reverse way because somehow it's connected with the brain and perception.

Whenever I see something and when I try to copy it, it's in reverse. I also notice when I'm learning to dance I have a hard time doing the moves correctly. Before I struggled with directions especially east and west. I am often confused with left and right sides or maybe my brain is telling me otherwise. When eating whichever utensil I pick up first would be ok with me since I can use them reversely. Before I didn't like the subject arts because I also have a hard time expressing myself. I didn't know that being a lefty was a challenging part of growing up. Honestly I find it weird and hard to explain but maybe that's how left handers think. I hope so!?

Few years later, I was able to appreciate the gift of being a lefty. I am amazed at the uniqueness and the ability I can do. I have started loving arts and I learned how to draw. It started in high school when I was influenced by my classmates who loved drawing. Also there's an anime show that was popular and I became an addict of the Japanese culture - origin of Anime and Manga. I have exposed myself to colors, painting, drawing, solving math and even dancing which I hated.

In college, I realize I was capable of doing more but then due to busy schedules I was unable to do what I loved to do when I was in high school. Despite that I was able to discover a new talent which was photography, videography and learning how to edit using photoshop. I loved reading/looking at colorful pictures in books/sites. I also started to learn the guitar and I have enjoyed it. I had a meaningful college life with full of colors, fun and tears. Nothing compares to the fullness of life that I have discovered being a YFC.

Years past and I found myself working in Dubai. My art skills were challenged and I enjoyed working in the nursery. I loved preparing crafts, acting as teacher, taking care of kids and my drawing skills were rekindled. I learned doodling plus adobe editing. I had several projects and I have fun. I am attracted to quizzes/games with colors expecially the rubiks cube. A lot has changed and looking back made me realize how being a lefty is a blessing. So far I am proud of who I became to be because God has blessed and given me with so much. Whatever I have now is all thanks to His grace, love and providence. And I want to thank God for creating me uniquely and I'm a proud lefty! :)